National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month: Frequent Headaches May Warrant A Doctor Visit

More than 32 million Americans suffer from migraines and 70 percent of them are women. It is also estimated that about 40,000 people in the U.S. do not retort to existing treatments and many turn to alternative therapies.

Dr. J. Ned Pruitt II, Professor and Vice Chair of neurology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University said that about 36 million Americans suffer from incapacitating headaches. He further said that the symptoms can be harsh, requiring bed rest, disrupting daily activities and potentially lasting for days. On the other hand, he added that not one should go it alone.

The month of June is the National Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. In recognition of this event, Dr. Pruitt advises that you must see a doctor if your headaches are draining and occurs more than three times in a month. In case you start having regular headaches at the aged of 50 or above, you must also consult a doctor. This may cause inflammation in the arteries leading to the brain.

He added that your primary doctor will assess your headaches and may refer you to a neurologist if it is warranted. The significant part of treatment is identifying what triggers your migraine. Dr. Pruitt said that by avoiding triggers, you can avoid headaches and eventually taper off medications.

The migraine triggers include stress, poor sleep habits, skip meals, aged cheese, cured meats, chocolate, too much or withdrawal of caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, depression, dehydration, too much exercise, dried fish, eyestrain, among others. In other rare cases, a headache could also be a symptom of severe illness. If your headache is associated with a sensation of spinning, vision loss in one or both eyes, weakness on one side of the body or slurred speech or clumsiness you should go to an emergency room right away.

Pruitt said that these could be signs of a stroke. You must seek treatment right away if you suspect stroke because time plays a huge role in stroke recovery.

One sign of bleeding in the brain is that when headaches start abruptly and become severe quickly in less than 10 or 15 minutes. Health experts suggest that you must see your doctor right away if you have persistent headaches so that you can take back control of your life.